The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-10-26

into our General Gems Assembly, bu. with c9 %dL,
Claimed claim ID that they could control, to great
extent. in the, Packard Legislature, the
they urge urged they should be placed in ike
position, should they go in with u.s.. We
were confronted with two stubborn facts:
One was the almost absolute necessity, for
peaceable success, Of having those men with
us; and the second was that they positively
acceded to. In view Of those two facts, what
were those to do who were charged with the
duty and responsibility OF .redeeming. the
State from the terrible condition in which
eight years of misrule had placed her and Of
probable indefinite continuance7
We are not called upon to. discuss the
morality or code Of ethics, OF those. who at
tached conditions precedent to the. per-
to face with fixed facts and had to deal with
them as we found them for the public good.
AT that time the appointing power to many
Of the local offices was lodged by law in my
hands. 1t WAS power placed there without
to appoint whomsoever, might choose; 20
man had q ''vested right, /" or legal right
to complain of the direction my Judgment
should take on that matter. The only duty
make thos. appointments to the best of my
ability for the public good, In the extraor-
binary condition in which the State was
then placed. my Judgment as to how some
Of these appointments sho';ld pe made at that
an entirely different shape from what it
would have taken unde. ordinary conditions.
Under ordinary conditions. / should have
considered the duties of each part cnlar office,
and the fitness, from every point OF view. of
each applicant for thst Office, and made the
a tyyant oppnr6il IN. mefft. snrD1Jf,f-
mind party claims and also the wishes OF the
community in which the appointments were
to be made. Duty to the. State, the people
and the party to which belonged would
would have ali led up to that result:
tain extent forced off from that particular
line Of action. strict observance Of it at
that time was not the best course for the pub
lie welfare The position Tito s RefSre b me vas
we had gotten into de facto position,
in each house quorum Of members, re-
turned as such by the, returning board, was
the key to the whole situation, We could
obtain that quorum through certain condi-
tons. If those conditions we're accepted it
would entail the making OF a limited number
of Objectionable appointments i'll the lower
grades of Office, but it would carry with 1t,
as the general result, tn, power OF appoint
State. and the full control forever Of the
State by Del ocratic hands. If those eondi-
tons were not accepted, the Republicans
mentioned would hot have joined lis; we
could not obtain the desired quorum, and
the greatest danger. A final loss Of on
fight would have resulted not only in the ap-
pointment by these same fapublicdns of
the persons they ,desired,s but II also would
have carried with 1T the continuance
of Radical domination throughout, the
whole State, and the appointment of
obnoxious officials all along the line. If we
accepted the conditions, whilst we would
have to subordinate our personal preferences
and political wishes to political eXlgel'cies,
no actual harm would result, for -slmultAne
ously All act could he passed land which in
point of fact was passed. giving the. Cover
nor the power to remove for cause all statute
officers, whom he had the power to appoint
and the public service be safely guarded i'll
that direction.
Besides this. while gaining the object then
directly in front of us, we would at the same
time, and through the very same act, strike
a blow at the Republican organization OF the
State.
We do not believe that Gen. Nichols, who
read his speech, wrote il, himself Ii he did
SO in part, we are confident that the quoted
passage, atleast, was written by his friend and
adviser. ex-Judge White. But in truth VIC
believe that the remarkable, wishy-washy
! bargaining aud coorless speech. is not the
original work of the chivalrous soldier and
| the very pink of reform in goverEmeE tai
ethics that Gen; Sishsls i is universally
a nithy French proverb says: ''Qni b1,
boira.'' We might say conveying the same
idea: 'Who.ver tricks once. Will trick
again" In the Legislature OF 1876, Chad
worth, of st. Charles, typical carpe,t-bae
| Senator of inetfable NAL odofous antcced-
ents and OF notorious corruption, introduced
| in the Senate z bill providing for the funding
of the floating debt of the parish of st.
Charles. This Lii Doe upon its face the
mars OF fwiaS ab to any the
EX-Judge Hh'te VAS q Senator then. He
had been elected after the stirring events o
Sept. IA, ut u tim: when the best of our eiti
Zens, with CIVIL virtue aroused, sought with
.ne legislative halls that reform and .pnritica-
ton might at last prevail after their heroic
| effort at Olsen thraldon.
Among the hrst acts of Senator White was
the introduction of measure. Doubtless ui
| greaS refo m. He +, Quired the votes of a
part at least, Of the carpet ba gg. + and ne
groea in the Senate, the Democrats being lii
the minority.
Senators White and Chadworth held dipfo-
| matte co fer ncea. Ii was stipulated be
tween thtm and solenlniy eoyenanted that
| Chad worth would scratch his back and he
| Lls'n."
Senator White help;d to pass that funding
| Job, and Chadworth voted for and assisted IL
| pass ng Senator Whites reform measure.
| No sooner, now5ser, hal this otcE do lie
than Senator White hurried over to the
| house to warn certain member of thai
body and to beg that he oppose and kill III
| bid when ic came before the House. | II,
| lncI, u, i III aston shment said: ''Whi, VIII h.,
yo,t > l.ted in the passage OF that bI.i III n.
| Senat; what do you mean Ill seeking III
u gently IFS defeat In the House!h
| Senator White then rel ted the clralm
stances of the trade as We tell them above
The Legislator. il IS needless, to say. con
c. lved no exalted opinion or the diplomatic
| ethics involved in the matter, nor gri lie be
come much Interested N IL Until Mir. Emil.
| Rosr, o planter of high sociai standing, witt
vast interest in the parish o. ST. Cha .es.
| sought an Interview wttn hiu at which h
exposed and denounced the lnia:lty Of Chad
wurth's scheme uf spoil .tIon. linen 1t VA:
| that the legislator Whose l.ame Is 1T I'd
VIII ties dlspobaD 0. gained an opposiho
| with the assistance Ut bro .h.r legnlatsr
such as L0 Is A. Wiz, James jeifr -. etc.,
and wher the ras:a4ly bill came ns they {,
the boyss.y. 'knucked th' stu an Gus Ut 1t.
| in the Iensas buIi,ollng cnlbrog 10. viii,
occurred, as every one knows, IL 1878, tW
Years after the episode we have BEEN relat
! ing. Gov. Nichols. III his message to ths